Psalm 63:1–11

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

1. The Search

Psalm 63:1

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you…

“Our souls are restless until they find rest in the true and living God.” (Augustine)

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

2. The Satisfaction

Psalm 63:2

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

Regular worship is what prepares us for the coming wilderness.

Psalm 63:3

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

John 6:35

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
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John 4:13-14

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied…. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends are but shadows, but enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.” (Jonathan Edwards)

How do I cultivate satisfaction in God

1. By praising Him

Psalm 63:4-5

So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

2. By mediating on Him

Psalm 63:5-7

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Meditation is thinking a truth out and then thinking a truth in until its ideas become “big” and “sweet,” moving and affecting, and until the reality of God is sensed upon the heart. (John Owen)

3. By clinging to Him

Psalm 63:8

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

For this week’s application guide click this URL: https://storage2.snappages.site/QG8D8X/assets/files/Sermon-Application-Guide_Psalm-63_June-1-69.docx

Resources Cited

Books/Blogs

“Absalom” by W.W. Davies. Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988.

The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. Christian Publications, 1982

When My Heart Is Cold by Scott Hubbard. August 12, 2021. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/when-my-heart-is-cold

Commentaries

Be Worshipful by Warren Wiersbe. 1st ed. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.
Psalms by Allan Harmon. A Mentor Commentary. Vol. 1–2. Mentor Commentaries. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2011.

Psalms by James Luther Mays. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1994.

The Book of Psalms by Mark D. Futato. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.